At just 21, Zaeden a.k.a. Sahil Sharma is making waves in the electronic dance musicย world.ย 

The Sherp sat down with this superstar for an exclusive interview before he takes the stage at Sunburn 10 in Pune, scheduled to be held from 28th to the 31st of December, 2016. Here’s what he had to say:

The Sherp:ย Zaeden, so great to catch up with you.ย As you know, you’re a favourite at festivals. Is there something new you’re going to whip upย for Sunburn this year.

Zaeden:ย Yes I am actually. I have a lot of new songs so I think I’m going to test them out at Sunburn. I have a song called ‘City Of The Lonely Hearts’ which comes out in Jan and also ‘Tempted to Touch’, which is basically a remake of this old song ‘Tempted to Touch’. So that’s with Raghav, the guy behind ‘Angel Eyes’. We made that song two months back and I can’t wait to play it live at Sunburn. I also might be getting a few guests on stage with me.

The Sherp: That’s a surprise?

Zaeden: Yeah.

The Sherp: Tell us, what is it about Sunburn that makes you want to go backย year after year?

Zaeden: I think it’s the crowd itself and the energy they bring. It’s the peopleย that make me want to come back every time.

The Sherp: You started your career really young. What do you have to say to other youngsters who are aspiring to put their music out there?

Zaeden: I would sayย don’t just give up. It was actually really hard for me to convince my parents at first and now they support me completely. Iย started making music when I was 14 and would just play the guitar and recording guitars on Ableton. Then, I switched to dance music afterย listening to tranceย DJs like Markus Schulz and then slowly shifted to pop. So, it’s been a gradual process. To all the young producers and upcoming producers, I would just say that don’t give up and keep working hard and try to make your own sound.

The Sherp:ย You’re one of the youngest DJs to have performed at Tomorrowland and that’s quite the achievement. Tell us about your journey from being just Sahil Sharma to Zaeden.

Zaeden:ย (Laughs) I mean Tomorrowland was insane though. There were 50,000 people right in front of my eyes and I was just like, “What is happening!” Thanks to Borgeousย for that. I ended up making a special appearance at Tomorrowland because our song ‘Yesterday’ came out in December. It was an unreal experience for me. As for my journey, I personally think I’ve started living two lives – one is Sahil Sharma and the other is Zaeden. When I’m Zaeden, I’m someone else. When I’m Sahil Sharma, it’s completely different. It’s hard to balance both, but the reality is thatย Zaeden is nothing without Sahil Sharma and Sahil Sharma is nothing without Zaeden. So it’s really complicated but I’m managing and it’s a lovely journey.

The Sherp: So how do you think things have turned out for you so far?

Zaeden: I personally think I’ve just started out. I think this is just the startย for me and I want toย make good songs forย my fans and for everybody else out there. I also want to make musicย for myself. Sometimes, fans have such big expectations from you and you feel the pressure to live up to that. But I personally try to satisfy myself as well. That’s what I want to do.

The Sherp: So you’re one of the first Indian DJs to hit one million views on Youtube. How do you think the internet has helped you reach to this point?

Zaeden: Well, firstly I’d like to thank Spinnin’ for that because they were the guys who supported the track throughout. It was with Borgeous and it’s called ‘Yesterday’. Borgeous alsoย promoted the track really well. And I can’t forget myย team who were always there to support me. It was my first single and it hit one million views, which was great! After that, ‘Never Let Me Go’ came out and that did insanely well too. It hit 3 million views out of nowhere. ‘Never Let Me Go’ was a collaboration withย Nina and Mallika.

The Sherp:ย Who would you credit as your biggest inspiration?

Zaeden: My dad. And if I were to look at musicians, then I would say Wood Robinson, Avicii, Porter Robinson, Illenium, The Chainsmokers; there’s just too many! There’s a list (laughs).

The Sherp:ย Now here’s a fun question. If the world is ending today and you can just play one song for your fans, what would you play?

Zaeden:ย The Nights by Avicii. It’s just such a fresh song. Even if I listen to it a million times, I will never get bored of it. And, like I mentioned, Avicii is one of my biggest inspirations. It’s just a song really close to my heart so I want to play itย for my fans. One last day, here you go! (laughs).

The Sherp:ย Now that the year is ending, what are your plans for 2017? What can your fans look forward to?

Zaeden:ย A lot of songs! All of next year is full. In January, I have two releases. There is a release in March and the songs are going to be dope! Everyone is going to love them, I’m sure. I can’t wait for that.

The Sherp:ย Are there any international festivals that you’ll be playing at?

Zaeden: I just signed up with the biggest Asian agent, Robb Harker with Supermodified (agency). So I’m going to start my Asia Tour probably in March. Of course I can’t reveal all the festivals because nothing is confirmed right now. A lot of things are still in talks, so let’s hope for the best. I’m going to be playing in Spain for sure, and a bunch of club shows in Ibiza and Asia for sure.

The Sherp:ย Just a shout out to your fans.

Zaeden:ย Thank you (laughs)!

(All images courtesy – facebook.com/zaedenmusic)